The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their grip on first place in the NFC South with their Week 16 loss at Carolina, but they know exactly what they need to do to get it back, and it starts with a trip downstate.
The Buccaneers, now 7-8, will travel to Miami in Week 17, seeking a win that will keep their division title hopes alive. Down a game to the 8-7 Panthers, Tampa Bay can put itself in a position for a winner-take-all home game against Carolina in Week 18 by beating the Dolphins. That's true regardless of the outcome of Carolina's home game against Seattle next Sunday.
The Buccaneers and Dolphins are scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 28 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game will mark Tampa Bay's first regular season game in South Florida since 2017, when they beat the Dolphins, 30-20, part of an active three-game winning streak against their instate foes.
Tampa Bay will be attempting to right its ship after the team's 6-2 start has been sunk by six losses in seven games following the bye week. Each of the Buccaneers' last three losses have come by four points or fewer and have featured key moments in the fourth quarter that turned the tide in their opponents' favor. After winning each of its first five games that were decided by three points or less in the first half of the season, the Bucs have since lost two contests by that margin, including Sunday's 23-20 defeat in Charlotte. After the Panthers scored what proved to be the game-winning points on a 48-yard field goal with 2:20 left in regulation, Baker Mayfield led an impressive drive into Panthers territory only to have miscommunication between him and star receiver Mike Evans lead to a game-sealing interception.
The Dolphins ripped off a four-game win streak starting in early November that began with an impressive 30-13 drubbing off the Buffalo Bills. However, after a desultory loss in Pittsburgh in Week 15, Head Coach Mike McDaniel elected to bench quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. In his NFL starting debut against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Ewers completed 20 of 30 passes for 260 yards and two interceptions in a 45-21 defeat. In the losing effort, running back De'Von Achane continued his impressive season with 15 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, increasing his season totals to 1,726 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns.
